


This Sudden Burst of Sunlight

by kaleidomusings



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Mistaken Identity, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 16:42:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16308899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidomusings/pseuds/kaleidomusings
Summary: Izzy convinces Alec to housesit for Magnus Bane, a very successful makeup artist and proud owner of two unusual cats.Or, Magnus is a crazy cat lover and Alec falls for him despite it.





	This Sudden Burst of Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by all the Twitter fanart of Alec wearing glasses. You’re welcome.
> 
> And the title is from Vienna Teng's "Stray Italian Greyhound".

Alec loves his family more than life itself. 

But they’re also a huge pain in his ass and has him contemplating murder a lot more than is probably healthy. 

“Izzy,” he says very carefully, “I appreciate you trying to help me find a job, but I’m not doing it.”

His beloved sister, the light of his life and biggest headache of them all, makes a rude noise. 

“What’s the big deal?” she asks. “You get paid to sit around and do nothing. You’re just feeding a couple cats and keeping the place clean.”

“In a complete stranger’s apartment,” he reminds her. 

Even if he can’t see Izzy roll her eyes at him, he can tell she’s doing it anyway. 

“Magnus isn’t a stranger, Alec. We’ve worked on a few weddings together.”

He remembers, because that was all she could talk about for weeks afterward. She waxed poetic about the man’s style and skill with a makeup brush. How attractive and witty he is. How completely and undoubtedly single. 

“No, Izzy.”

“Come on, big brother,” she says. “It’ll be good for you to have your own space and you can use the extra cash.”

She’s not wrong, but it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth to accept his little sister’s help. 

Alec already feels like a failure for quitting school, realizing that he couldn’t follow the path his parents mapped out for him to be a politician or lawyer. He’s taking online classes now, but mostly works odd jobs while still living under his mother’s roof. A fact she reminds him of every single day. 

Izzy, on the other hand, has done well for herself. 

Despite never going to college, she threw herself into wedding planning and is now very successful. She even lives in an apartment on the nicer side of Brooklyn with someone who loves her, heart and soul. Alec has never seen her so happy and doesn’t resent her for it in the least, but he is envious. 

Maybe that’s why, when Izzy offers to give him Magnus’ number, he actually takes it down. He has no intention on following through on it, but at least he can say he has the number saved in his phone. 

After hanging up with his sister, Alec takes off his glasses with a sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. He’s exhausted from studying all day after a long night of bussing tables and considers getting another cup of coffee, but he decides against it. Instead puts his glasses back on as he packs his laptop in his bag and heads home to make nice with his mother. 

For Max’s sake if not for his own. 

Unfortunately, because his life is already a nightmare, it starts to rain as soon as he leaves the coffee shop. And it’s not a light shower either. 

It’s a torrential downpour. 

And Alec chose today of all days to forget an umbrella. 

He ducks under the overhang of a building and wraps his bag in his coat to keep it marginally dryer than the rest of him. The short time he’s been in the rain has drenched him through, his damp hair plastered to his forehead and his glasses fogging up. 

Shivering with the cold, he yanks them off and shoves them in his pocket, wiping his sleeve across his face. He watches the blur of people walking past him and the puffs of air his breath makes with each exhale, wondering if he should just brave the rain and run the rest of the way home. 

“Hi,” a warm and pleasant voice says suddenly. 

Alec jumps when somebody moves into his space, pushing an umbrella into his hand and wrapping an expensive cashmere scarf around his neck. Long slender fingers touch his own and electricity dances up and down his spine. 

“Here. You look like you could use it more than I do.”

Alec blinks rainwater from his lashes, but before he can respond to this kind stranger he can’t see, the man melts into the crowd and he loses him, feeling oddly bereft. 

—

“So let me get this straight,” Jace says the next day over lunch. 

Alec covers his face with his hand. “Stop.”

“Let me get this straight,” Jace says, louder. “You fell in love with some random guy and don’t even know what he looks like?”

“No one said anything about love,” Alec snaps, flushing with embarrassment, even as he plays with the edge of the scarf around his neck. It’s emerald green and sinfully soft, and still smells of some expensive cologne even after Alec had it cleaned. 

Jace simply laughs in reply and he regrets telling him anything. “Sure, if you say so.”

Alec may love his brother more than anything in this world, but he can’t be held accountable for his actions if he smothers Jace in his sleep. 

“Let’s change the subject now,” he says impatiently.

Of course, Jace never could follow simple instructions. “What about that guy Izzy is trying to set you up with? The one with the petsitting job?”

Alec stabs his pasta viciously. “I hate you.”

“Come on,” Jace says, gentling his tone, eyes big and soft. “You know Izzy and I just want you to be happy. Give it a try.”

It annoys him that his family keeps trying to meddle in his love life, or lack thereof. Which is the only reason he grabs his phone and sends Magnus Bane a text message purely out of spite. 

 _Hi_ , he writes, definitely not thinking about the stranger who said the same thing, captivating him with a soft but deep and lilting voice. _This is Alec Lightwood. My sister Isabelle mentioned you’re looking for someone to housesit for you_. 

He doesn’t actually expect a reply with how curt and rude he is, and is surprised when he receives a response a few moments later. 

 _Hello! Alexander, right? Isabelle told me a lot about you! And yes, I have two ADORABLE cats who need someone to watch over them during the day._  

Alec furrows his brows, wondering what Izzy might have said about him, as Jace peers curiously across the table. 

“What’s he saying?”

“He still wants me for the job,” he replies and writes back to Magnus. _I thought cats were independent?_

Jace leans back in his chair, looking pleased. “Good. You going to take it?”

Alec glances down at his phone when it buzzes and reads, _Unfortunately, that’s not the case with mine. They’re attention whores. Especially Chairman Meow._

It startles a laugh from him, but Alec clears his throat when he notices the insufferable grin on his brother’s face. 

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Jace says innocently and Alec retaliates by kicking him under the table. 

— 

Even though Alec starts texting Magnus just to get his siblings off his back, he finds that he quite enjoys talking to the man. 

They continue to send each other messages over the next few weeks, sharing tidbits about themselves and their lives. 

Magnus tells Alec about his clients, usually frantic brides and stressed out models, who either praise him as a god for his talents or blame him for seemingly every little thing. And he’s constantly on the move, rushing from one photoshoot to the next. He’s so busy that Alec still hasn’t met him since he started going over to his apartment during the day, instead leaving a key for him under the doormat with a note to let himself in whenever he likes. 

It’s a strange situation and leaves Alec feeling like an intruder, as if one misstep will have Magnus kicking him out for good. So he cleans the apartment and leaves dinner waiting on the stove before heading home for the night, even though Magnus tells him time and again that he doesn’t have to. 

 _If I’m not studying, I’m cuddling with your cats and watching Netflix,_ he texts. _This is the least I can do._

And the truth is that Alec loves being at Magnus’ apartment. 

Despite practically still strangers, there’s something warm and homey being in Magnus’ space. It’s so unlike the Lightwood house that he rests and relaxes more at Magnus’, which helps his concentration while he’s studying without critical parents scrutinizing his every move.  

Sometimes he writes sticky notes with random things -lyrics, quotes, or a fact he finds interesting- and leaves them in obscure places for Magnus to find. 

The first time he started the game, he woke up at two in the morning by a text message that said, _MARRY ME ALEXANDER._

Followed quickly by, _I am so sorry I just saw the time and might be a little drunk._

And Alec, who wakes up from sleep like a bear whose hibernation has been interrupted, smiles and writes back, _Didn’t think you’d like Hamilton so much_. 

_How dare you. So insulted right now. But I'll forgive you because you’re pretty._

And Alec, knowing that Magnus has never seen his face, still blushes and writes, _You’re a moron. Go to sleep._

—

 _Why did you become a makeup artist?_ he asks while Chairman purrs contently in his lap and Church lounges on the other couch.

The big mean tom attacked Alec the moment he stepped foot into the apartment, screaming like a demon from hell. He eventually warmed up to him with a lot of bribes, but still hisses if Alec tries to sit next to him or doesn’t feed him _immediately_ at dinnertime. 

 _Because making people beautiful makes me happy,_ Magnus replies. 

Alec ponders this as he scratches under Chairman’s chin, leaning back against the armrest when the needy little thing tries to shove his butt in his face, before he receives another text. 

_And because I get to have as much coffee as I want. I especially love the coffee shop down the street._

Alec smiles. _So do I. It’s one of my favorite places to study._

There’s a long pause and then Magnus writes, _I never did ask you, but_ w _hat are you studying?_

There are a lot of ways Alec can answer that, but he chooses the most honest and the most painful. 

_I’m still trying to figure it out._

Magnus immediately replies, _There’s no doubt in my mind that you will._

Normally he hates when people offer platitudes like that, but for some reason it doesn’t bother him when it comes from Magnus. 

Much to his surprise, he actually believes it. 

—

One day, when Alec means to send Izzy a picture of himself, glasses askew with Chairman curled up under his chin and purring loudly, he sends it to Magnus by mistake. 

To his horror, the immediate response is, _I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight. How do I cope???_

Flushing bright red, Alec tells him, _I meant to send that to Izzy._  

There’s a gasping emoji face followed by one with a tear running down its face. _Alexander, you wound me._  

Although he’ll never admit it, Alec still thinks of the man he met that rainy night. He keeps his umbrella in his closet and wears his scarf when he goes out. But maybe his siblings are right and he needs to move on. It’s silly to feel such a strong connection to a stranger without knowing that he looks like. 

Granted, he doesn’t know what Magnus looks like either, but that’s because being in a relationship -exposing his heart- scares him. He’s spent years watching how miserable his parents were together and how his mother fell apart when his father’s affair came to light. The divorce, their broken home. 

At least this way, Alec can keep himself safe. 

And besides, Magnus hasn’t made any attempt to reach out to him either. He doesn’t call or hasn’t sent any pictures of himself. He also stays out late and never gets home before Alec leaves for the night. 

There aren’t any pictures of himself in the apartment either. Alec searched, curiosity getting the better of him as he wanders from room to room. But it seems that despite all the priceless antiques and abstract paintings, there isn’t a single photograph. 

Maybe he’s lonely too, Alec thinks. 

The realization makes him bold and he tells Magnus, _The least you can do is send me a picture of you._

He bites his lip, heart pounding as he waits for a reply. Then his phone buzzes. 

The picture attached has a man draped over a chair, Izzy and another woman with dreadlocks waving in the background, but that’s not what snares his attention. Staring at him, eyes crinkled with amusement as he holds a coffee cup to his mouth, is the most beautiful man Alec has ever seen. 

He has strong features and an undercut, hair styled perfectly on the top of his head, pronouncing his sharp cheekbones. But those smoky eyes, framed with dark eyeshadow and glitter, makes his breath catch. It’s almost as if he knows a secret and is urging Alec to know it too. 

 _You’re beautiful,_ Alec manages to write before wishing such inadequate words could describe how stunning and gorgeous he finds Magnus Bane. 

—

The first time Alec speaks to Magnus, he’s dozing on the couch with Chairman lying across his chest and is barely awake when he answers his phone. 

“Yeah?” he mumbles, voice rough and heavy with sleep. 

There’s a faint choking noise. “Alexander?”

The sound of that voice has him awake in moments, hopeful and disbelieving. “Magnus?”

He laughs and it sounds like music to his ears. “Yes.”

Alec hurriedly sits up, ignoring Chairman who growls unhappily and goes to snuggle with Church. 

Magnus sounds just like the man who helped him the other day. 

“Wha— Is something the matter?”

“No of course not,” Magnus reassures him. “I just wanted to talk. Put a voice to lovely face of yours.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Alec says and doesn’t mean it one bit. 

—

Wanting to find out if Magnus really was the one he met the coffee shop, Alec asks him one of their many phone calls, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

He regrets it as soon as he asks and starts to hurriedly tell Magnus to ignore him, but is interrupted. 

“Why, Alexander. Are you flirting with me?” He laughs when Alec refuses to reply, even as he’s squirming in his seat. “And to answer your question, yes and no.”

Alec blinks at this. “What do you mean?”

“I think we as people are naturally drawn to those we’re attracted to, but the only way to make sure we’re compatible is to get to know them better.”

Smiling, Alec says softly, “I think you’re right.”

He thinks that falling in love with Magnus is about the easiest thing he’s ever done. It goes beyond attraction, beyond anything he’s ever felt before. 

And then Magnus says, “Just the other day I met the most stunning man I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Heart plummeting, Alec curses himself for not expecting this. 

It doesn’t matter whether Magnus is actually the man from that rainy day or not, because clearly that moment didn’t matter to him as much as it did for Alec. Of course Magnus already has someone he’s interested in, instead of Isabelle Lightwood’s deadbeat brother. 

He should have known better. 

—

Magnus asks multiple times if Alec wants to meet up for coffee or drinks, but Alec always declines. 

He takes to leaving earlier than usual to avoid running into him at the apartment. He even limits the calls and texts he responds to, making excuses about having more schoolwork or that he has to babysit Max. 

 _Did I do something or are you just being shy?_ Magnus teases once in a text that Alec never responds to. 

Izzy and Jace notice something’s wrong, but he turns down their offers to talk about it. Alec doesn’t have a reason to be upset, because Magnus is his employer and isn’t interested in him. There’s nothing he needs to talk about. 

 _Alexander,_ Magnus writes after several days of Alec avoiding him, on a rainy day like the one they first met. _Please tell me if I offended you in any way. I want to apologize._

The desperation in the words make Alec feel terrible and he writes back, _It’s nothing you did, Magnus. I’m sorry._  

_What do you have to be sorry for?_

Furious and brokenhearted, Alec writes, _Because you already have someone and I think it’s about time I stop coming by to your place._

Almost immediately, the phone starts ringing, Magnus’ name flashing on the screen. 

Alec doesn’t want to answer, but he owes Magnus this at least. 

But suddenly Church yowls in pain and throws up all over the couch. 

“Church!” he gasps just as the calls connects. 

“What?” Magnus asks. “What’s wrong with Church?”

“I don’t know!” Alec realizes he’s panicking, but can’t make himself stop. “He’s throwing up everywhere all of a sudden. Magnus, what do I do?”

“Calm down, Alexander,” Magnus says, voice gentle but firm. “He’s an old cat and gets more hairballs than he used to. It may be stuck in his throat. I need you to take him to the vet around the block so they can help him get it out. Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah. Yeah I can do that.” Alec rushes to find Church’s carrier and grabs the distraught cat, who hisses like a wild thing but doesn’t actually scratch him. The way he stares at Alec with miserable eyes makes his own well up with tears. “Magnus.”

“I’ll stay on the phone with you until you get there. I believe in you, Alexander.”

—

Thankfully, the vet -a grumpy older man named Ragnor and apparently a good friend of Magnus’- has seen Church many times for the same issue. 

He puts a steadying hand on Alec’s shoulder and promises that he’ll take care of it, _now go wait in the sitting area before you collapse_. 

The procedure is fairly quick and within a couple hours, Alec has him back at Magnus’ apartment, making a little nest for him on Magnus’ bed and stroking his soft fur. Chairman curls up next to Church while Alec goes to clean up the mess on the couch, trying not to think about how Magnus will kick him out for sure after everything that happened. 

He decides to leave before he gets home and starts packing his laptop and his books. He wants to erase every trace of himself. 

Taking one last look around the apartment, he grabs his umbrella and yanks the door open, only to find Magnus standing on the other side. 

He’s even more attractive up close, which is just unfair. Even more so with the elegant navy blue coat he’s wearing, with silver stitching on the collar and sleeves. There’s blue and silver eyeshadow dusting the edges of his eyes, which flicker down to the umbrella in his hand and the green scarf around his neck. 

Alec turns red, when he realizes that he must recognize them as the same ones he gave to him before. 

Magnus ducks inside, shutting the door behind him before any of the cats can escape. They’re standing so close and Alec wants desperately to reach out and wrap his arms around him, but Magnus beats him to it. He takes Alec’s shaking hands in his own, making him drop the umbrella as Magnus squeezes his fingers in reassurance. 

Alec glances down at their clasped hands. “What are you doing here?” he asks, remembering Magnus had mentioned he would be gone all day for a wedding. 

“Ragnor called,” he replies. “Said you were in quite a state, so I wanted to check on you.”

Alec watches the glint of Magnus’ rings as he sweeps his thumbs over the backs of his hands. “I tried to pay Church’s bill.”

“And it’s a good thing Ragnor turned you down.” Magnus catches his gaze, forcing Alec to meet the deep brown of his eyes. “None of this was your fault. I mean it when I say Church is a very old cat.”

Alec laughs and it sounds hollow and broken even to his own ears. 

Magnus’ eyes soften with at the sound and he cups of the back of his neck, so Alec can press his face against his shoulder. His glasses are digging uncomfortably against his nose, but he shakily breathes in his scent as he settles his own hands on Magnus’ waist and doesn’t want to let go anytime soon. 

“And I feel like you might be misunderstanding something, so let me say that I fell for you the moment I saw you with rainwater on your lashes,” Magnus says as he strokes his fingers through Alec’s hair. 

“Is that why you had Izzy ask me to housesit for you?” he asks.

“No.” 

Alec leans back to meet his gaze, surprised, and Magnus smiles. He takes Alec’s hand and leads him to the couch, so they can sit facing each other. 

“Isabelle did send me a picture of you,” Magnus admits, twining their fingers together. “But only after you agreed to the job.”

Alec lets himself admire the sight of their fingers interlocked. “But you never tried to meet me at first.”

“I know,” Magnus says with a sad look in his eyes. “And I’m sorry. I guess I was just scared too.”

He blinks, taken aback by his response. “Why?”

Magnus places his free hand on Alec’s knee, making his heart begin to race. 

“Isabelle told me you’ve never been in a relationship before. I didn’t want to push and make you feel uncomfortable.”

There’s a long moment of silence before Alec starts to get up. “Excuse me. I have to go murder my sister.”

“Hey,” Magnus says and tugs him back down. “I may have felt that way initially, but then I got to know you. And when you asked if I believed in love at first sight, I realized what I was feeling wasn’t going away. I love you, Alexander.”

“I love you too,” Alec replies and leans closer just as Magnus moves in for a kiss. 

At the first touch of those lips on his, his skin is buzzing with heat and only burns hotter as the kiss deepens. Magnus unwinds his scarf and rests his hand lightly on Alec’s flushed neck, humming encouragement as his hands roam Magnus’ chest and shoulders, still undoubtedly awkward but wanting to touch as much of Magnus as he can. 

It annoys him that all of this is the result of Izzy meddling with his love life, and no doubt she’s going to bring it up at every family dinner from now on, but so long as he gets Magnus out of it he really can’t complain. 

Besides, there are worst things than a meddlesome sister who only cares about his happiness. 

But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s going to kill her.

**Author's Note:**

> Alec later finishes school and gets a job as a vet tech, and then gets hired to be Ragnor’s assistant. (Who is delighted that his oldest friend finally has a good person like Alec in his life, but if he has to endure another night of Magnus singing Alec’s praises over drinks _one more time—_ ) 
> 
> Magnus also changes his schedule around and takes less jobs so he can have more time to spend with Alec. They still have a lot of challenges to face in the future and it’s never going to be happily ever after for them, but it’s still pretty damn close. And that’s more than either of them could have hoped for.


End file.
